Blackmagic Forum

while the int mic works fine on my bmcc, I can not get the external audio to work at all !! I have tried several mics that work fine on other cameras, all going into a 3.5mm female to 1/4 TRS plug adapter..very frustrating..I have tried both line and mic input in the menu, etc and no luck at all....John

Make sure your audio settings are correct. In the Audio Settings menu, there are levels for mic input, input levels for mic or line, and separate channel levels.

yeah I tried everything, different mics, menu settings..always the same..very strange.

I just got my camera yesterday. I have two shotgun mics I'm trying to use. The first is an audio-technica AT875R, it is an unpowered mic that relies on phantom power from the camera. The second mic is an Azden SGM 1X. It uses a battery to power the mic. The Azden works but is very quiet and has no range. It may be a low battery issue.

I have some other microphone systems I want to try but am away from the office right now and only have these two mics. I'm curious to see if a wireless lavelier boosts the signal enough.

I have read elsewhere that a pre-amp is necessary to use external microphones. They will power the mic as well as boost the signal to the camera.

Anyone have a good recommendation for a small, light, and affordable pre-amp device?

ok, here's what i discovered.

A JuicedLink preamp cost $300-400

Sound design pre-amp is $899

a Rode VideoMic Pro will work at about $229. It uses a 9 volt battery unlike the AAA in the azden. more power, longer usage.

I might go with the JuicedLink pre-amp. The Rode is a nice mic but I want to use countryman, laveliers, shotguns. The pre-amp allows me to use different devices where the Rode is just a single mic.

I also have a Zoom H4N audio recorder that I will try when I get back to the office. If that works as a preamp I will have backup audio recording as well as amplification. Then I might as well buy the Rode for a semi-compact system.